Shingetsu
by Maru Maru
Summary: {oneshot} On the night of the new moon, Inuyasha comes to a realisation that really, he does want a certain someone by his side...


Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Kagome does. Even if she doesn't know it.

"…" - speech

'…' - thoughts

- change in scenery or time

--

Shingetsu

--

Inuyasha watched as the last rays of the sun faded under the horizon in a brilliant display of red, pink, and purple. The land of the rising sun was now completely enveloped in darkness as the hidden stars began to come from their hiding places. A patch of darkness in the sky signified the moon… or lack thereof.

Kagome gazed appreciatively at the sky and turned to the hanyou. "Beautiful, eh Inuyasha?"

He snorted.

The shard-hunting group was setting up camp at the edge of a small forest, where there had been the rumour of a shikon shard. It turned out the rumours had been false. The snake demon had simply been snatching victims from a nearby town, and so the group did them the favour of destroying it.

Much to the displeasure of Inuyasha.

He'd been against the 'helping people' part from the start, insisting that it wasn't important.

Too bad his entire group had been against him.

The group, after completing their task, had set out in order to escape the eaves of the forest before settling down; the shadows of the trees hid ominous things, and nobody in the group wished to be caught amongst them during nightfall. By the time they'd finally exited the woods, it had been well later than they'd first anticipated.

There was a small fire crackling merrily in a temporary spit that Kagome had lit with one of her matches. The wonder she'd brought from her world, had first startled and amazed her friends, but now, they were used to its useful properties. Although they didn't quite understand how the matches worked, they didn't object its presence: it made starting a fire a hell of a lot easier than before.

Kagome shook her head at Inuyasha's grumpy attitude, and moved next to the fire, where she carefully removed a pot of boiling water from above it. Tearing open several packs of instant noodles, the girl dumped them in and closed the lid, allowing the noodles to soften, before adding the soup base and other ingredients.

The mixture created an aroma that normally would have had the dog demon sniffing at it in anticipation, but tonight was different.

Tonight was the new moon.

Which meant he was human.

Inuyasha shifted slightly before leaning his head back with a sigh.

Gods, he hated being human.

His senses were dulled considerably.

He was weak.

And, he was in a bad mood.

Kagome got up from her place at the fire and called to Shippou, "The food's ready, Shippou-chan! Come and get it!"

The kitsune immediately ran over from playing with Kirara, with said cat demon in tow. He stopped just before colliding with the girl, and grinned impishly at Kagome.

"Careful now. They're hot." The girl carefully poured some soup into Shippou's bowl of noodles, and handed it to him. "Don't eat too quickly, or you'll burn your tongue."

The fox cub eagerly accepted the ramen. "Thanks, Kagome!" He picked up a pair of chopsticks, and then commenced with slurping his dinner, occasionally slipping bits to the fire cat at his side.

Kagome smiled slightly, and picked up two bowls. Filling them up with some noodles as well, she brought them over to Sango and Miroku, who were across the camp. She had been polishing Hiraikotsu, while he had been… observing her.

Seeing Kagome approach with food, Sango put her boomerang down and nodded appreciatively at the girl. Miroku reached for both bowls of food.

"Thank you, Kagome-chan."

"Many thanks, Kagome-sama."

"Think nothing of it."

The girl turned her back, and started back to the fire, wincing slightly as she heard a loud shriek of '_Pervert!'_, followed by a resounding smack.

Honestly.

Miroku never learned.

Kagome returned to the fire side and poured the leftover noodles into two bowls. She eyed the dirty pot before shrugging and deciding to leave the cleaning for later.

Holding the bowls carefully, Kagome slowly strolled to where Inuyasha was sitting, careful not to spill the soup.

The boy was sitting cross-legged, brooding next to a lone tree. His eyebrows were furrowed, and his mouth was drawn into a pout. The crossed arms completed the sulky look. A sheathed Tetsusaiga lay in his lap, ready to be used at any moment despite the fact that it wouldn't transform in Inuyasha's hands at the moment. The hanyou's now lavender eyes seemed to be staring at nothing even as she approached.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Inuyasha blinked and his eyes focused on the girl with two steaming bowls of beef flavoured ramen. He frowned. "What the hell does that mean?"

Kagome sighed and sat down next to the boy. She handed him his bowl of noodles. "It's a saying from my era." She paused before launching into an explanation, and reconsidered. "Forget what it means. You looked thoughtful. Want to tell me about anything?"

Grunt.

She wrinkled her nose as he started inhaling his dinner. Even on the new moon, he managed to eat his food faster than anybody else did. She would have put it off to instinctual dog behaviour, but… this was Inuyasha she was talking about.

He always ate fast.

It was probably generic to Inuyasha or something.

It was only a matter of minutes before he had finished his share of the ramen, and Kagome offered the rest of hers to the boy.

He eyed her suspiciously. "Why don't you finish it? You're not sick or something, are you?"

Kagome shook her head. "No. I had breakfast." She pushed her bowl into his hands. "I'm not hungry."

Inuyasha was still doubtful. "You sure?"

"Don't worry." She grinned widely at him. "I'm just not hungry."

The boy gave her a suspicious look before accepting the food and quickly devouring it.

And then, they sat in silence.

Kagome sighed and leaned back onto the trunk, staring up into the stars. A lazy smile tipped her lips as she started to trace constellations in the sky. The stars were never this bright or clear in her world, and she really did enjoy the beauty offered by the feudal era.

However, the silence soon became a little pressing, and the teenager wished that it would be broken.

And it soon was.

But surprisingly, it wasn't Kagome who broke it.

"Oi, Kagome."

She blinked in surprise before turning to look at the half-demon "What?" She stared at him, noticing the fact that his eyes were half-lidded, his expression relaxed.

"What do you prefer me as?"

Her eyes widened. What was he talking about? "Huh? What do you mean?"

Inuyasha grunted, annoyed that he would have to explain his question."

"What do you prefer me as?" His tone was distinctly irritated now. "Human, hanyou, or demon?" As an afterthought, he added, "Bitch"

Kagome's expression cleared in understanding. Was this what he had been thinking about earlier?

She noticed his eyes carefully gauging her facial expression, and so she smiled at him, enjoying their time together. He was always much more open when he was human. He normally didn't like to ask such questions.

"I like you as you, Inuyasha. Whatever you are, or want to be, I'll always be by your side." Her smile turned serene and calming. "I told you that before, don't you remember?" A blush reddened her cheeks. "But if you want me to be honest…"

He scowled at her. "What?"

She averted her eyes in embarrassment. "I like you as a hanyou the best." The girl's grin grew. "The ears are just too cute…"

Inuyasha blinked as his cheeks too, became slightly coloured. "Keh."

He stared thoughtfully around the clearing.

She liked him as he was?

She accepted him as a hanyou?

His face saddened slightly.

Kikyou hadn't been like that. She had only been willing to fully trust him after he became human. And, indeed, he had been willing to give up his youkai blood to gain that trust. He had wanted to be accepted so badly.

He snorted.

Damn, he'd been weak.

Hell, the only time they had kissed had been after she'd died…

His gaze landed on Kagome again. Her eyes were closed and a small smile played on her face she leaned back onto the trunk of the tree beside him.

Kagome.

The only one who had really trusted him.

The first person to have really entrusted her life to him. The one who had been responsible for his new friends. The one who had been able to heal his heart, and who had slowly crept in between the cracks. The one who had a scent that he wanted to enjoy for the rest of his days.

Inuyasha blinked again. For the rest of his days? Where had that come from?

His expression softened.

For the rest of his days.

He wanted that. He wanted Kagome to be with him until the day he died.

His heart seemed to skip a beat, as he blinked, amazed, at the revelation.

How had he become so attached to the girl?

He sighed and relaxed.

Hell, who cared?

It didn't matter.

Kagome opened her sleepy eyes when she felt a callused hand slip over her own. She glanced up at the hanyou, confusion etched on her face.

He was looking away.

And was that a blush she saw?

Grinning, she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, accepting his actions. "You really are a softie at heart, eh Inuyasha?" Her eyes closed, and the girl drifted off to a peaceful slumber.

He studied Kagome's face. It was so peaceful, and full of trust that one couldn't help but feel warmed at. "… Keh."

Yes, so he was a… _softie_.

But only for her.

* * *

--Yes, incase you didn't guess, Shingetsu means new moon…Not one of my better pieces, but it'll pass. 

Edit: 11.27.04: I've editted and added some things to this oneshot.

Till next time…

Ja!--


End file.
